Are you upgrading your appliances soon? Do you need to replace that old refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, or other large appliance? If so, you might be able to sell your old appliance and get some cash for it.
If you have old appliances you want to get rid of or want to make some extra cash flipping appliances, read on for some reselling tips.
Where to Sell Old Appliances
Most people choose to sell their appliances on their own through social media or online sites. The best online site for selling appliances like washers or dryers for cash tends to be Craigslist.
Here are some tips for getting top dollar as you work to sell your old appliances on Craigslist.
1. Craigslist
There are reasons why some things sell faster than others on Craigslist. When you search to buy items on Craigslist, you’ll find some things going quickly and others sitting for weeks.
There are also over 60 million people using Craigslist every month, so this will make it easier to find a potential buyer.
2. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace has grown over the past few years. Most neighborhood groups also have a neighborhood buy and sell page.
The great thing about Facebook is most buyers are near you. This can be good for you if you are trying to get rid of your items fast.
Neighborhood selling pages are a great way to buy and sell items. You can also extend your search to community buy and sell pages. Some pages use the terms beg, barter, or sell.
As with any social media selling page, vet your buyer. Facebook allows you to click on the buyer and seller profile and see if their profile is a legit page.
3. Garage Sale
Garage sales can be great venues for selling used appliances as well. Despite what some might think, there is still a large garage and yard sales audience.
Some people enjoy finding deals in an atmosphere where they can come and look at stuff firsthand at their convenience.
You can post your garage sale listing on Craigslist, which could result in an online offer even before your garage sale starts.
When posting a garage sale listing on Craigslist, it’s important to share a short list of what you are selling to potentially attract buyers before the sale starts.
4. Local Appliance Stores
Another avenue for selling used appliances might be found with local appliance stores. Many appliance stores have a “used” section, and some appliance stores only sell used or “scratch and dent” models.
Take some time to call local appliance stores and outlets and find out if they are interested in buying your used appliances, whether it’s a personal appliance or one you’ve purchased to resell. Check to see if they will give you cash or payout in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
5. Local Scrap Metal Recyclers
Many larger metropolitan areas have scrap metal recycling businesses that willingly pay for old appliances, which can result in a fast way to make money.
Now, selling to a scrap metal recycler might take some work; some recyclers only take the metal parts of the appliance, which means you’ll have to remove any non-metal parts.
Also, it’s important when calling recycling businesses to make sure they take scrap metal as not all recyclers do.
Scrap metal recyclers generally pay by the pound – and prices for recyclers can vary – so it’s smart to call a few scrap metal recycling yards before choosing which one to sell your appliances to.
6. Local Appliance Resellers
Along with stores that resell used appliances, you might also be able to find local side hustlers who will buy your appliances for the sake of reselling them.
Although this route won’t get you the most money for your appliance (remember, the goal of the reseller is to buy super low and sell for a profit), it might be a faster way to sell the item.
Check your local Craigslist ads and local newspaper ads, as well as search for resellers who might be interested in buying used appliances.
Selling Appliances for The Most Money
Some people run a serious side hustle where they make money buying and reselling used appliances.
You’ll need a truck or trailer to run an appliance selling side hustle, as you’ll need to be able to go quickly to pick the appliances up from the sellers you find.
As you look for items that will resell quickly, you’ll want to look for three things:
- Appliances that are in good shape or need minor repairs that you can make yourself
- Appliances that are priced well below what you could resell them for
- Appliances that aren’t far away from your current location
Pick the Right Items to Resell
As you browse a selling app for items to buy for resale purposes, you want to ensure that the items are in great working shape or can be fixed with a good cleaning or by replacing simple parts.
Selling used appliances is probably the best side hustle choice for people who know little about how to repair appliances or are willing to take some time to learn.
Appliance repairs are often much simpler to accomplish than you might think. When the heating element went out in our clothes dryer, my husband spent a couple of hours searching the Internet on how to replace it.
Next, he ordered the part from a local appliance parts store (it only cost $40) and got the dryer working again in less than three hours.
Doing that saved us over $200 on the repair cost we were quoted from the appliance store, and he learned a valuable skill in the process.
Most appliance repairs aren’t difficult, but you do need to know what you are doing. The Internet is a great resource for learning how to repair appliances.
Buy Appliances that Are Priced Well
You’ll have to be quick and check Craigslist often as you look for the items that are going for the best price and will make you the most profit as you resell them.
Check Craigslist or other sites every day, and check the “free” section. Many people selling used appliances aren’t looking to make a huge profit – they just want the item gone.
They also don’t want to pay to get rid of them, and many appliance retailers and junkyards charge a fee for taking old appliances.
You may also be able to negotiate a lower sale price if you can get the appliance picked up sooner rather than later.
Buy Items That Aren’t Too Far
When buying used appliances to resell them, it’s important to take into account the gasoline you have to use when picking them up.
It may not be worth driving your truck an hour away to pick up an appliance you’ll only make a $50 profit on when you resell.
Therefore, it’s smart to calculate the time and money you’ll spend as you consider how far to drive to pick up appliances you can buy and sell for a profit.
If you are looking to make a business selling used appliances and do not want to travel too far, look on Craiglist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay Local, or OfferUp to find good deals on appliances that you can resell for a profit.
You’ll have to put in some time and money as you go to pick up the appliances, to get them in optimum shape as you clean them up, do some paint retouching, and do minor repairs, but the profit you make on the resell could make it a worthwhile side hustle.
Sell Used Appliances to Replace Items
The other reason you might want to know how to sell used appliances for cash is if you are replacing older appliances with new appliances.
There are several reasons you might want to sell your old appliances:
- The appliances may no longer be in the best working order
- The features and benefits of the appliance may no longer fit your needs
- You may be upgrading to a newer model
Whatever your reasons for selling your old appliances, there are ways you can get cash for them.
Having a Store Pick Up Your Appliance
Years ago, many bigger appliance chains used to pay you to haul away your old appliances but that’s not the case anymore. Before you agree to have a store haul away your appliances, it’s important to know what their policy is for doing so.
Here are some current policies for a few of the bigger stores that might be willing to take old appliances.
Best Buy
Best Buy will also haul away your old appliances for a fee. If you replace an old appliance with a similar item, Best Buy will charge you $59.99 per item they haul away.
However, if you have them remove items not being replaced with similar items purchased from their store, they charge a $199.99 removal fee for each item.
Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores
Lowe’s will haul away your old appliances for free when you purchase a similar replacement item – IF you buy the item using your Lowe’s Business Credit account. I’ve heard they make some exceptions in this area, but it’s probably smart to contact your local Lowe’s store for their specific guidelines on hauling away old appliances.
Home Depot
The Home Depot website is pretty vague about how much they charge to haul away old appliances. The website simply states, “Haul away the old appliance at an additional charge.”
Again, it might be a good idea to call your local Home Depot store for specific information, as each store location might have its own haul-away rules.
Salvation Army
Although your purpose is to make money from the sale of an appliance, sometimes selling may be too much of a hassle. Therefore donating to a non-profit can be feasible as well.
Check places like the Salvation Army to see if they will pick up your item and provide you with a donation slip that you can put toward your taxes.
Summary
The bottom line is this: you can pay someone to haul away your old appliances, and you can also pay to bring them to the local scrap yard or junkyard.
However, there are ways to make extra money by selling your old appliances, and it’s always nice to make a little money rather than spend a lot for having someone else take away your appliances.
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